la vie ordinaire

        

   A few weeks ago I was lucky to have had an apportunity to visit a country I had been dreaming about for so long. The name of it is Iceland.  Actually, one thing that aroused my facination about this country was a movie I saw about two or three years ago on a Scanorama film festival in Vilnius. The movie called  Heartstone (Hjartasteinn in Icelandic) was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen with stunning views of the landscape of Iceland and a subtle rendition of the LGBT+ theme. So, if you ever happen to find this movie somewehre (because I couldn't find it online) do not hestitate and watch it. In terms of LGBT+, my experience in Iceland was quite different from what I saw in that movie because everyone here seems to be very tolerant and open-minded, there are many LGBT+ flags painted on the walls of the buildings, pavements and windows. They also have a great purpose of brightening grey colour that is a common view here. In general, there are thousands of colourful and painted buildings all around Iceland, especially in Reykjavik, that create an extremely artistic and warm atmosphere and, unlike in Vilnius, there aren't any vandal graffiti drawings on them because, apparently, people have some respect for others and their creations in Iceland. The thing is, Iceland completely differed from my expectations. From others I heard that it is extremely cold, windy and rainy, remote, wild and exceptionally expensive, however during my visit it didn't rain and I barely needed those rainproof jackets and trousers I had (although I would still recommed to take them). Most places, like waterfalls, canyons and hiking trails, are very suitable for tourists, there are parking lots and fenced paths because it is forbidden to step on the moss. So, reality does not really look like those instagram photos where there is only  a single human figure. In general, it is not wise to blindly believe what others say or show you. Including me. Because every experience is very unique and different people see the world from different perspectives. As Iceland is becoming so popular a destination, it is very likely that you already have some kind of an image of it in your head. So did I. Of course, a big part of it turned out to be true but in terms of prices, you can absolutely find food for the same price as here, in Lithuania. And I am not talking just about basic necessities. It is possible (in less touristic places) to buy a sandwich for appriximately 4 euros, even healthy stuff like plant milk, fancy tea, nut bars, dark chocolate costs as much as it does in other western european countries.  The funny thing is that you can get a lot of things for free. E.g. water, tea and coffee are free of charge in a majority of caffes. Public pools are also incredibly cheap. Also, I was said that there are no forests in Iceland, but there actually are some, you just have to look for them. The sun does shine almost everyday too.
   But enough empty talk. Let's discuss the important element of Iceland that is nature, shall we? Nature here is particulary splendid, majestic and varied. It makes you feel small and insignificant . A human is a mere guest, temporary visitor here. Human leaves, disappears but the nature remains. But by no means, it is stagnant. On contrary, the nature is ever-changing, evolving and flowing, constantly being shaped by erupting volcanoes, flowing lava, howling wind, thousands of glacial rivers, stormy ocean and glaciers themselves. As I found out, the landspace is very young here with some pitch-black lava fields being just 800 years old. Nothing has yet adapted to grow there, so only some moss greens here and there.  Those probably left thwe biggest impresion on me. The green mountains, especially in the southern part of the island, with herds of fluffy sheeps and fields of purple lupins do look impresive too. And horses. They are everywhere, wild, with long mane, different in their size and the manner of trot. 
  The title of the article might look a bit strange but I will try to explain it. When we first left Reykjavik and went to the country side, we decided to have a swim in a hot spring river. Little did I know that the walk to it was about 4 kilometres uphill. And on the way, landspace reminded me of hell because the area is extremely geothermaly active and steam full of sulphur emerges from the surface of earth. The hills look like they are smoking and the sulphur tickles your nose and eyes. Lake Mitvan looks like hell even more. Red-ish ground with holes of boiling water and unbearable smell of sulphur does definetly leave an impresion. Do not forget about the geysirs too. And the heaven part? Well, most of the country. Divine waterfalls with rainbows, crystal-clear lakes and rivers, lush flora, magical smell of wild thyme and other herbs in the fields. And the sun, which, contrary to what I heard, shines quite often.
    But it us not just about the nature - the cultural side of the country is very developed too. Icelanders love music 
and I have heard that most of them play in band at least once in their lifetime. The towns there are quite small (well,
the total population of the Iceland is  less than 340 000) but there are a few concert halls that are visited a lot. When 
were in the secound largest city of Iceland, Akureyri,  Metropolitan Flute Orchestra played in their concert hall. For free. And
Reykjavik has a beautiful bee-hive-like famous Harpa concert hall and the impresive Hallgrímskirkja church with huge organs. I was lucky to attend an organ concert where  french organist and composer Thierry Escaich played. When we visited a small town in the East, called Seyðisfjörður, a LungA festival was taking place there, celebrating culture, art and creativity, exploring gender from different points. Variuos exhibitions, workshops and discussions take place there annually. Art centres and galleries, like Reykjavik Art Museum, are also worth visiting. Agriculture is actually developed too. As there are unlimited amount of boiling thermal water and running water that produces energy, it is possible to grow vegetables in greenhouses that are heated and lit all year. We visited a tomato farm where tomatoes are grown and served together with fresh bread and butter in a restaurant inside that same greenhouse. In terms of food, traditional skyr yogurt is a must try. So, yeah Iceland is not just about nature. 
  What else I noticed is that people here have a very high level of culture, are all polite, kind and fluent in English. In cities, locals dress very stylishly - minimalism mixed with some latest trends and warm layers. And even though I have heard that it is worthless to take jeans, a lot of locals wear them.  Together with traditional lopapeysa wool sweater. As it is cheap, safe and popular, many tourists choose to hitch-hike instead of renting a terribly expensive car. We did give a lift to a couple of hitch-hikers who told us that all the people are nice and the longest they waited for someone to stop was less than two hours. But what really impressed me was the number of pools, it is something that you do not really know before going to Iceland. From what I understood, hot springs like Blue Lagoon are more for tourists, meanwhile locals (all year around) go to public swimming pools. Basically every town and  village has at least one. I've been to four in total.  Everything is very neat and clean, however, there are some rules. People have to wash naked before dipping in the pool but there is not a lot of privacy in the showers and changing rooms so everyone (of the same gender of course) can see your naked butt. Icelanders do not really have a complex of being naked as near some hot springs there weren't separate men and women changing rooms at all. Back to pools, they all are situated outside and everyone swims there despite the weather conditions. Well, sits is a more suitable word because since (baby) it is cold outside icelanders like to warm up in hot tubs and while the streets might look empty, the pool will sure be full. There are usually two-four of those hot tubs with different temperatures varying from 38 to 44 degrees celsium. So, like I said, all facilities are to make people feel better, happier and more fit. Let me remind you that there are just as many residents as there are in Vilnius and they even have a few olympic-sized swimming pools. Oh, and they cost like 4 euros. Not bad, Iceland, not bad at all. In general, Iceland is a great country to live (except for cold weather, polar nights and high prices). It is very modern and well-developed,  the atmosphere is great, people are friendly, food is tasty, everything is clean and quite safe. What can I say, amazing and magical land it is, with elves, fire, ice, moon-like surface and clouds lying just a few metres above the ground. Hopefuly, I will have a chance to see it again one day.

1. Don‘t use polyethylene bags, esspecially in supermarkets for fruits and vegetables. Polyethylene does not decompose and often ends up in landfills and oceans.
2. Buy unpacked fruits and vegetables (and other products like bread) because most of them  already have natural protection, which is called peel.
3. Put your groceries in a reusable fabric bag (like tote bag). Bonus – you will look like some sort of a youthful  artsy (pseudo)hipster.
4. Instead of buying single-use plastic bottles of water, invest in a good reusable BPA free water bottle, which does not have harmful particles and saves both the planet and your health (and wallet).
5. Boycott for plastic straws. I repeat, boycott for plastic straws (together with polyethylene bags). It is an extremely poluting product that is kind of useless and can easily be given up. In cafes/bars just ask not to put a straw in your drink and also cover it with your hand if you see a bartender reaching for one. For straw lovers I suggest buying reusable  metallic ones.
6. Reduce the consumption of single-use coffee cups. In general, I think it is wise to think twice whether coffee is that necessary. If it is, ask barista to make your dark fuel into a normal cup or in your thermo cup.
7. Theoretically, everyone changes their toothbrush every two months. This way, one person uses six toothbrushes per year. Now think about seven billion people. Quite a lot, huh? Toothbrush is a pretty necesary item, so it is  kind of impossible to ditch it (I mean, you can if you want to) but I strongly suggest you to buy eco-friendly compostable bamboo toothbrushes. However, you have to put some extra effort if you want to find 100% biodegradable one as most shops in Lithuania only sell bamboo toothbrushes with plastic bristles.
8. Use soap bar instead of a shower gel in a plastic bottle. Bonus points if also use a shampoo bar.
9. Thrift your clothes (that means buying in second-hand stores). It has become quite fashionable in Lithuania and it is amazing (although due to this popularity the prices are getting higher) and a lot of youth buy their garments in second-hand stores, especially Humana. This shopping way is great as it saves money and  nature, is stylish and unique (you won‘t have to tremble about seeing another person in the same H&M dress as you). Clothing industry is a huge terrible machine that uses women and children labour without paying them a proper salary and also polutes the environment. We are still lucky that prices in vintage stores are rather low because in Amsterdam or Reykjavik you would pay about 20 euros for a simple dress. Update: I went to Humana in Vilnius today expecting to get a nice dress. Indeed, I found one... for 16 f***ing euros. I take my words back. It is still better to shop second hand though.
10. Use real towels instead of paper ones.
11.  Do not throw garbage anywhere except for special trash bins.
12. Try to use your items as long as possible and reuse if it is possible.
13. Sort out  your trash and recycle items that can no longer be used.
14. Use public transport, cycle or walk instead of driving.
15. Use and consume less, think like five times before buying something.
16. If you accidentally end up in a government, try to change the laws because authorities are someone whose decisions have the biggest impact.  (hats off to Kerala High Court for a total plastic ban and other countries who are really close to it)

• Before the Flood
• The True Cost
• Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things
• Cowspiracy

 It is indeed a very original choice to name an article after an Audrey Hepburn movie, but I can't deny it, Rome is a classic. A little cliche, but still a wonderful classic that captures your heart and doesn't let it go. In the beggining of this excessively warm May, I went to this eternal city for the fifth time in my life. Aren't there enough other countries and cities in the world to visit, you would ask. Indeed. But Rome has something very special and dear to my heart. After some time I can't help but miss it. And it is amazing to go to this city and not feel like a lost tourist that rushes to see all the monuments. I wanted to just wander around off the beaten track. But do not get it wrong, I love all the touristic parts of the city just as much and feel the desire to visit them again and again. But why Rome? Well, it was one of the first capital cities of Europe that I visited, so sentiments. I also feel like it is quite versatile and has an amazing nature, wonderful parks, which look more like forests, blooming magnolias, pine trees, green and lush river bank, that reminds me of an amazonian jugle. Rome also has a spectacular old town with narrow little streets, osterias, italian women smoking  with their hair-dye on, vespas, cats and fountains. Seeing the locals convinces me that the ,,Sweet life" is not dead. (Yes, the French likes to lead a beautiful life but Italians like to keep it sweet. Sweet, pleasant, spicy and maybe a little naughty.)  Old towns are the soul of the city, they tell the history and lives. Every stone in the street, polished by the feet of poeple during centuries, has its history that I can feel with all my body. Cities without old-towns, like New York or even the hipster Meka Berlin, feel a little cold and soul-less to me (of course, that does not mean I do not want to go there). Art is another subject that particulary captures my interest and when I am in Rome: I am glad and grateful to observe remains of Ancient Rome, Renaissance, Baroque, which actually started in Rome, classicism and modern art. Although, after visiting Venice, it sort of became my favourite italian city (at least in summer), Rome remains my great love. It has a feeling of Mediterranean Sea holidays (well the sea itself is only 30km away and you can reach it with a train), as it is hot, sunny, full of lush vegetation on the ground and seagulls in the sky. Water undoubtedly plays an important role here too. As I've already mentioned, there are thousands of beautiful fountains (despite huge crowd, Trevi is still my favourite one, because I was able to see it without so many other tourists during my first few times in Rome) and the river of Tiber is beautiful too. I love water and feel good around it, maybe that is the reason why I admire Venice and Amsterdam so much. Anyway, my little impresion has come to an end, but here are some photographs that hopefully convey at least a little part of what I felt and witnessed.